THE FAUNA OF THE SOOKE BEDS OF 

 VANCOUVER ISLAND. 



BY JOHN C. MERRIAM, 



The Sooke beds, so named from their occurrence in the 

 Sooke district, on the southern coast of Vancouver Island, 

 have been principally studied in the field by Dr. C. F. 

 Newcombe of Victoria, B. C, the fossil invertebrates col- 

 lected by him being placed at the disposal of the writer for 

 study and description. As the result of the investigation of 

 this material, together with that from other horizons, the 

 author has, during the past two years, published two diag- 

 nostic notes ^ on this fauna. 



As no figures of the new species have been published, 

 and as investigation of this fauna is not easily combined 

 with any other to which the writer is at present giving par- 

 ticular attention, it was thought best to bring together in 

 one note the principal facts known regarding the fauna, 

 furnishing also figures of the new species. Future investi- 

 gation will probably add many new forms to the list given 

 in this paper. 



The first mention of the Sooke beds made in the litera- 

 ture is by Mr. James Richardson,-^ who in 1876 noticed the 

 occurrence of fossiliferous rocks in the Sooke district. The 

 following extract from his paper expresses his opinion of 

 the beds: — 



" At the mouth of John's River the lowest beds are gray 

 sandstone, in some places crowded with fossils belonging 



1 " Note on Two Tertiary Faunas from the Rocks of the Southern Coast of Vancouver 

 Island," Bull. Dep't Geol., Univ. Cal , Vol. II, No. 3, Dec, 1896. 



" New Species of Tertiary Mollusca from Vancouver Island." Nautilus, Vol. XI, Octo- 

 ber, 1897, p. 64. 



" Geol. Surv. Canada, Rept. Prog., 1876-77, pp. 160-192. 



[175] March 4, 1899. 



